App Mac Reading Difficulties

Run Disk Utility. Applications Utilities Disk Utility (or click cmd+space and start typing Disk Utility) to see if there is an issue with your disk. Read about How to use Disk Utility here. The OverDrive Read app on Mac is actually a web browser supported software program, but it's on this list because it is the officially supported app for borrowing books from public libraries. Although you have to access the OverDrive Read on Mac from a web browser, you can download content for offline reading, listening, or watching.

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference that can affect spelling and reading skills in children and adults. Students with dyslexia are not less intelligent than their peers, they just process language in a different way. Unfortunately, most school instruction is heavily dependent on reading and writing, thus from an early age, learners with dyslexia are at risk for falling behind or experiencing a mismatch between intellectual potential and performance in the classroom. This is especially true at the end of primary/elementary school when students are graduating from learning to read to reading to learn.

It’s also one reason why dyslexic individuals will typically benefit from having access to strategy training and classroom accommodations that facilitate language use. These accommodations might come in the form of additional time on assessment measures or alternative approaches to assignments.

Quite often they include using a laptop for note-taking, essay-writing, and homework. They may also extend to the use of smartphone and tablet apps that exercise the cognitive abilities which underpin literacy skills success.

But it’s still up to teachers, tutors and parents to select the right programs and apps to ensure a dyslexic learner achieves the maximum benefit from his or her technology use. That’s why we’ve put together this list with information on the skills that learners with dyslexia should be targeting and some of the most popular apps available today.

Since apps were first developed, they have been linked to positive outcomes in the areas of memory -- short and long-term --, phonemic awareness, decoding, sight reading and productive language use. This is partly because smartphone and tablet apps have the ability to render content in an accessible and gamified-way.

They can camouflage repetitive drills with cool graphics and games. They can segment learning in different ways to cater to short attention spans, and they can make it easy to track progress, so students build momentum gradually.
Another thing apps do well is combine visual, linguistic and auditory stimuli. Through the use of touch-screens and keyboards, they also add a kinesthetic element to the learning. This creates a multi-sensory experience which means learners benefit from diverse stimuli channels that reinforce language in memory.

This is especially useful for students who struggle with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia. You can read more about multi-sensory approaches, dyslexia programs and methods of teaching reading in these posts.

Because apps are designed for self-study, they provide a convenient way to build on learning outside of the classroom, and an opportunity for students to practice and build skills gradually, at their own pace, and in the privacy of their homes. This is an important consideration for children with low confidence and self-esteem who may feel embarrassed and hesitate to participate in group settings.

Additionally, learning on a tablet, smartphone or computer opens up access to text-to-speech, voice-to-text, and predictive text technology, functionality which can help a student with dyslexia who is struggling to keep up.

Every learner with dyslexia is unique

No two students with dyslexia have the same profile and you may observe a wide range of characteristic traits. Note they aren’t all negatives either! Some of the strengths associated with dyslexia include creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, enhanced spatial awareness and advanced reasoning skills.

On the other hand, it’s also common to find problems when it comes to reading and writing. The most common type of dyslexia is phonological dyslexia which results in difficulties segmenting the sounds that make up words. This in turn impacts on decoding and spelling skills.
It may be harder for dyslexic learners to retain details in short-term memory, which can affect reading comprehension. You may find students with dyslexia re-read the same paragraph several times and in general struggle with reading fluency, particularly if the books they are reading contain higher percentages of unfamiliar vocabulary. You may see messy handwriting and difficulty sustaining attention due to the cognitive strain associated with literacy activities.

Additionally, productive vocabulary can be limited and syntax simplified in dyslexic writing when compared to oral abilities. This is often a result of the anxiety experienced because of spelling difficulties. Learn more in identifying dyslexia, different types of dyslexia and the strengths associated with dyslexia.

Dyslexia occurs in about 10% of the population and in the majority of cases it is something individuals are born with. It’s most usually genetic, meaning dyslexia often runs in families, but it can also vary widely in how it affects an individual. For some students, dyslexia is mild meaning with a bit of extra effort they can manage to keep up with peers.

However, in an estimated 3-4% of cases dyslexia can be so severe that it prevents literacy skills development. Without reading and writing skills, students are at a disadvantage in mainstream education programs. They may be able to get by with coping strategies in early years but can struggle as workloads increase from one school year to the next. Read more about mild vs. severe dyslexia.

What are the best apps for dyslexia?

Apps for smartphones, tablets, and browsers can make a big difference for children and young-adults with dyslexia. Use them to support reading and writing, make learning more accessible and/or reinforce literacy skills and build confidence.

An app is a flexible and effective way of providing support in the classroom and in the home. For families in which more than one person has dyslexia, you may find that different combinations of apps work better for each child.

Reading apps

Building decoding skills and strengthening phonological awareness

Sounding out words is one of the first challenges kids with dyslexia encounter when they are learning how to read. In order to improve decoding skills it’s important to practice with word segmentation and sound blending. Homer: Kids’ Learn-to-Read Apps have consonant and vowel blending games.

App Mac Reading Difficulties Chart

Starfall Learn to Read gives students a chance to play around with sounds, including short and long vowels and the chunking of common English phonemes. Dyslexia Reading provides practice and testing with the most frequently encountered English phonemes and Phonics Games is an app based on the Orton Gillingham approach that offers different rocket activities for finding groups of English sounds.

TOP TIP: Apps that take the Orton-Gillingham approach combine sequential and structured phonics with multi-sensory learning. Touch-type Read and Spell is an Orton-Gillingham touch-typing app for iPads that teaches keyboarding and reinforces reading and spelling skills for students with dyslexia.

You can further support decoding by strengthening phonological awareness. Nursery rhyme apps where students can both hear the song and see the words on the screen are great for younger learners but older students may want a more straightforward rhyming app like Partners in Rhyme. It has drag and drop, rhyming sets and matching games that help students train their ears so they can better hear the components that make-up spoken and written language.

Developing reading fluency

There are a number of ways to increase fluency in reading but learning Sight Words is one of the most effective. Sight words are high frequency words that make up 50% or more of all English texts.

If students can recognize these words without sounding them out, they can spend more time on decoding less frequent terms. This speeds up reading and makes more effective use of their cognitive resources.

There are two popular lists of Sight Words, the Dolch List and Fry’s List. Tiny Human makes a number of apps including Sky Words, Alphabet Catch and most importantly Dolch Sight Words to help with recognition and reading of these words.

Sight Words List lets you practice with recognition and spelling and also record yourself saying the words aloud – and for students with dyslexia the more multi-sensory the practice, the better. Touch-type Read and Spell has several typing modules dedicated to Dolch words.

Spelling Bee : Fry Sight Words is aimed at first grade level words but accompanied by some nice graphics. Lastly, you can try the Sight Words Games in Candy Land app which won the Parents’ Choice Award in 2017.

TOP TIP: Most of the words on the Dolch List are service words, including prepositions, which can be particularly difficult for dyslexic students to read and spell. That’s because as opposed to nouns they are less amenable to mnemonic devices. Learn more in teaching sight words.

Graded readers are another excellent approach to building fluency and confidence in students with dyslexia. The idea behind these books is they contain higher percentages of high frequency vocabulary and other words which are more readily decoded.

Teens and Adults Phonics Library app (TAP) books have been designed and written by dyslexia reading specialists and are a great place to start.

More reading apps to check out

It is definitely worth exploring other approaches to online reading such as the Kindle and Gerty apps. Gerty contains the Open Dyslexic font which means you can make books more easily readable – learn more about the best fonts for dyslexia in this post.

It additionally allows you to type electronic notes as you read, which creates an interactive and engaging experience that’s excellent for students who work with private reading tutors or struggle with attention difficulties.

In encouraging free reading, Leio is an app that allows students to keep stats on their books so they can see speed increases and track pages read per day. It’s also possible to set reading goals to work towards. In cases of severe dyslexia, students may wish to explore Audible audio books as well.

Learn more about helping students with dyslexia: Fluency strategies for struggling readers, Motivating students to read, Why are some kids reluctant readers?

Spelling apps

When it comes to spelling apps you’re spoiled for choice. That’s because spelling in English is so irregular and consequently so hard, whether you have dyslexia or not. This also means there are a number of apps which help with spelling but may not necessarily provide practice in a dyslexia-friendly way.

We couldn’t put together a better list than the authors at the Homeschooling with Dyslexia Blog, so have a look at their suggestions and remember that on Apple devices Siri can also let students know how to spell a word. Siri doesn’t just read the word aloud letter by letter but will also show you its phonetic pronunciation and definition on the screen.
Touch-typing apps are another great way to improve spelling skills and practice a list. This is because keyboarding translates words into a series of keystrokes which can be learned by muscle memory. Students who struggle with the process of writing may always do so but typing can become automatic. Discover more in this post on how to make your own typing drills and have a look at our article on creative ways to make spelling fun.

Other apps that can help

Many students with dyslexia will benefit from apps that target short-term memory. The Luminosity app provides a quick and gamified way of enhancing short term memory. Aptitude for foreign language learning is another area of interest. Language learning apps that involve images, video and audio create multi-modal learning experiences and may be particularly effective.

Try Duolingo and Memrise and check out our post on dyslexia and foreign language learning, which includes advice on which languages are easier for English speakers with dyslexia. When dyslexia and dyscalculia co-present, you may want to try apps that help students master math facts and math vocabulary. Learn more in this article on students who are struggling with math.

Assembling your ‘dyslexia toolbox’

When dyslexia is assessed by an educational psychologist, you will typically receive a report that specifies the areas in which a child can benefit from additional support – learn more about how they test for dyslexia in this post. Use this as a guide to help you choose apps for your dyslexia toolbox but also keep the following in mind:

App Mac Reading Difficulties Ielts

1. How old is the app and will it work on your device? Unfortunately, there are more than a few paid apps which have not been updated in recent years and therefore may not run correctly on devices with newer operating systems.

   This can be particularly problematic when the sound doesn’t play, as sound is essential in most literacy-focused learning. It’s not always possible to see when an app was released but you can see the date of the last version upload and it’s not a great sign if it doesn’t have many recent reviews.

2. Who is the target audience of the app? There are lots of app options which target younger audiences and may be full of cartoons and animations. However, in the hands of a young-adult learner, this type of app may be patronizing and inappropriate. Look at the app’s screenshots to get a sense of the target age for the content.

   Sometimes this is described in the app description as well. Do you want a purely educational app or would you like it to be more game oriented? Some learners with dyslexia who also struggle with ADD/ADHD can benefit from relatively simple interfaces where they are less likely to be distracted by flashy graphics.

3. Who makes the app and will the company be sticking around? One frequently encountered issue with accessible apps is they have a smaller market so it’s easier for the companies that make them to go out of business. It’s a shame to find an app your child loves and then either have it not be updated or become unavailable.

   While this has happened with a number of apps listed in other dyslexia tool roundups, in many cases Apple and Google have stepped in with their powerful technology to provide the same services built into devices or browsers.

4. Is the app available offline? When it comes to mobile apps with audio, data use can sometimes be heavy. Have a look to find out if all of the data can be downloaded when you first get the app or if students will need to use it mainly in places with Wifi.

5. What pricing model does the app offer? Some apps are a one-off payment, whereas others are monthly subscriptions. Does the price cover one user or multiple user profiles? This is especially important for families where more than one child will be using the app.

Additional assistive technology to explore

• Text-to-speech
  Depending on the individual student, text-to-speech might be something you want to try in combination with other strategies and apps. On Android devices there’s @Voice Aloud Reader which reads text aloud from other apps and documents, including pdfs. Google has a neat text-to-speech feature. On a computer the Read Aloud browser extension works well on Chrome. You can change the speed at which the voice reads text and you can have it read out web-pages or documents in different electronic voices.
  
• Speech-to-text
  This is built into the iPhone microphone next to the keyboard. You can read something out loud as a dictation and the phone will write it down. It may get some words wrong, but you can correct them later. Voice notepad works in a similar way on Google Chrome for your computer. There’s also Dragon speech recognition technology.
  
• Accessible text
  At ConvertCase.net you can change things in and out of all caps by copying and pasting text in. The Pages app for Mac products will let you do this too.

TOP TIP: Did you know students with dyslexia are more likely to have irregular usage of capital letters?

Typing programs

Touch-typing is a useful skill for learners with dyslexia to acquire because it automatizes spelling and transforms letter sequences into keystrokes, which may be easier to acquire and produce. However, keep in mind individuals with dyslexia learn in a different way and many popular typing programs may not be suitable for students with special needs.

For example, typing programs that emphasize speed over accuracy, teach nonsense letters, leave out audio prompts or penalize spelling errors, can frustrate a student with dyslexia and end up de-motivating them. That’s why you are best off going with a program that is tailor-made for students with specific learning difficulties. Learn more about the benefits of typing for individuals with dyslexia.

Touch-type Read and Spell

Touch-type Read and Spell is a multi-sensory app and keyboarding program that is designed to teach dyslexic students how to type and help them improve their spelling and reading skills at the same time. It does this through a whole word typing curriculum carefully sequenced to teach phonemic awareness and sight words using an Orton-Gillingham approach.

For 25 years TTRS has been helping students see the word on screen, hear it read aloud and type it, combining different sensory input to reinforce learning.
Modules are short and the interface is simple and distraction-free so students can build momentum. Progress is self-paced. In this way using the app builds self-confidence and self-esteem at the same time as it develops reading and spelling skills. Benefits to literacy skills can be seen both in typing and writing by hand.

App Mac Reading Difficulties Reading

Some learners who rely heavily on voice-to-text and other assistive technology have found the program also makes it easier for them to use predictive text features on a smartphone.

You can read more about the experience of learners with ADD/ADHD, mild dyslexia, severe dyslexia and other learning difficulties in TTRS testimonials, or give the app a try and see for yourself if it makes a difference for your student(s).

App Mac Reading Difficulties App

• In this free app, Leo the Lion teaches the basics of multiplication before putting them to the test. Compared to other multiplication apps, this puts a much greater emphasis on teaching the topic rather than just testing and practice. Once children have mastered the lessons, they are put to test in the form of a race between Leo the Lion and an animal competitor. Teachers and parents can also engage with this app in the say-it-aloud activity, where there is a pause for a response after a math question. In-app purchases are available to unlock more difficult times tables. This app is available for both Apple and Android.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1104769468
• Epic! is the leading digital library for kids, with access to over 25,000 resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, learning videos, and quizzes. Designed for ages 12 and under, Epic! provides a fun way to engage in reading. Free for both iPhone and iPad, children can explore and learn in a whole new way.
  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epic!-books-for-kids/id719219382?mt=8
  Terms: Reading, Reading Comprehension, Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Text-to-speech

• Storyboard That is an online tool that allows users to create engaging and creative storyboards, for both educational and entertainment purposes. Creating storyboards is great for school projects, and teachers can use this resource for reinforcing ideas to ESL and students with disabilities. The website provides a variety of customizable templates for teachers that are ready to export or present in minutes. Storyboard That also provides an extensive image library and special tools that make the website easy to use, while also being compatible with iPad and Android.

  Learn more about Storyboard That and start your own Storyboard on their website.

  Terms: Art, Reading, Writing, Later Elementary, Middle School, High School, College/Adult

• Teen and Adults Phonics, also known as TAP, has introduced an app that is a library of novels written for teenagers and adults with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Their stories are fully decodable, meaning that they include a cumulative phonic progression meant to build readers’ confidence and capabilities. Additionally, there is a decodability tool and 7 different levels of reading. The app is free to download exclusively for iPad, and full access to each book is available for $2.99 USD. You can read more about TAP here.

  Download for iPad through the iTunes store.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teen-adult-phonics-library/id1189152100?mt=8
  Terms: Reading, Middle School, High School, Phonics, College/Adult

• ABC Reading Magic is a 5 part series of apps that build off each other to improve reading skills. The three core skills that these apps focus on are blending, segmenting, and reading. These apps also expand your child’s vocabulary so that he/she can recognize and pronounce words that are not normally found in the everyday vocabulary of young learners.

  Included are progressive skill-building games in skill levels that most other reading programs overlook: blending, segmenting and reading. This time-tested and proven process utilizes phonics principles that help improve your children's phonological processing ability, giving he/she strong foundations in reading.

  Each app includes built-in lesson plans as well as male/female voice, font style, and letter color options.

  Go to this page to see the details for each of the 5 different apps. This page also provides links to the iTunes app store to download the free trials as well as the full versions for each part of the series.

  Application URL: http://www.preschoolu.com/word-reading-games.html#.Wil-fLbMw6h
  Terms: Preschool, Reading, Early Elementary, Vocabulary Builder

• Compatibility: Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

  The Leo app specializes in recording and transcription, all in real time for the user’s benefit. This app is especially designed for individuals with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, giving them the tools they need to succeed. The app transcribes voice to text, helping to get thoughts to written words faster and easier. Once recorded, all transcripts are saved and backed up so that you can go back through them later on. To reduce confusion, there is a calendar organization system built in, as well as the ability to edit and customize your recordings. Overall, the simplicity and easy to use aspects are some of the most appealing for this app, along with its ability to perform real-time transcription for a long period of time.

  You can get the Leo- Recorder and Transcription app for $8.99 at the iTunes App store here.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/dk/app/leo-recorder-transcription/id1140324040?mt=8
  Terms: Speech, Middle School, Notetaking, High School, College/Adult, Voice Recording

• Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  The user is given one whole word and seven letters, which, when rearranged, spell out the synonym or antonym of the word. The user has to rearrange the letters correctly before time runs out. Clue letters can help, but using them reduces the score.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-the-synonym/id524309587?mt=8
  Terms: Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Middle School, Vocabulary Builder

• Compatibility: Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  The A+ Spelling Test is a free app that helps students master new vocabulary words that is catered to their own needs. The app allows a parent, teacher, or older student create a customized list of words for the child to spell. There are over 400 pre-made lists with over 6,300 words already built-in the app for easy set-up. Once the list is created, the student can choose from a variety of activities to learn the words including Practice, Unscramble, Ace It, and Test. These four activities are easy to use and great for any child learning to spell. In addition, this app allows you to track the child’s progress and submit his or her results through email to a teacher or other adult.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-spelling-test/id501211008?mt=8
  Terms: Preschool, Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Spelling

• Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

  Recently featured by Apple, the app Reading Machine takes reading for beginners to a new level. With the overall goal of reducing frustration amongst readers, this app assists in the reading process by modeling how the letters and sounds in a word go together. How it works is that when a child comes to a word he is unfamiliar with and unable to read, he simply types it into the Reading Machine. The app, with a dictionary of over 5,000 words, sounds out the word so that the child can try figuring it out by blending the sounds together to make the word. He can then “ask” for additional help, and the whole word is stated. This strategy helps children become better readers because they are forced to decipher the word instead of guessing or memorizing words that they see. Creators of the app say this is the type of letter-sound skill that the brain needs in order to develop quality reading skills. In addition, this app empowers the reader because it transforms them into a self-teacher of new words. Whether a new reader or a dyslexic, this app allows the reader to enjoy the reading experience without feeling embarrassed by what he doesn’t know. With the Reading Machine in hand, it keeps reading fun and children on track to become advanced readers.

  You can download the Reading Machine app for free from the iTunes store. Also, visit the Reading Machine website to learn more about how the app works.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reading-machine-full-install/id368974482?mt=8
  Terms: Letters and Sounds, Reading, Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Text-to-speech

• The Root Words dictionary app helps you in learning English root words to improve your vocabulary. Root Words has all the important Latin and Greek root words along with explanations and examples. The app also lets you quiz your knowledge of root words using multiple choice tests.

  This English Root Words dictionary app offers the following features:

  • Offline application
  • Add important root word to favorite list
  • Search using intuitive search functionality
  • Flashcards
  • Multiple choice tests
  • Off line pronunciation
  • Add root word to mastered list if you are familiar with that
  • After each test, a summary is displayed indicating your marks and percentage
  Application URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.praveenj.root&hl=en

• Action Words is an application for iPhone and iPad that teaches beginner readers over 100 action words using real photographs to increase their early vocabulary and improve their writing skills.

  Users can select which category of action words they want to work on (emotions, movements, etc) and, within a category, turn action words “on” or “off” so they can monitor how many new words are presented in each round. When the user selects which category he or she wants to work on, an action word appears on the screen accompanied by four photographs. The user must select which photograph best depicts the given action word. There are no hints or penalty for selecting the wrong photograph, the user just keeps guessing until he or she chooses the correct photograph. This application is made to be engaging for its user, so the existing 500 photographs, concepts, and accompanying audio are all customizable. Users can also add their own categories, action words, and photographs.
  You can learn more about Action Words at the AppStore.

  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/action-words/id511783094?mt=8
  Terms: Preschool, Early Elementary, Vocabulary Builder
• Lectio is mobile application built to encourage independent reading for students with language related learning disabilities.Developed by the mother of a dyslexic, Lectio is an application for iPhone and iPad that quickly allows the user to snap a picture of a text-filled page and have a specific word or words read aloud. The application doesn’t require access to internet, and allows the user to select just the word he or she wants help with, instead of reading the entire passage out loud. Once the picture is taken, words on the page that are in Lectio’s extensive dictionary will appear highlighted in yellow, and the user can simply tap the single word they want read aloud—or can hold down his or her finger to view a definition of the word. This application is designed as a quick and personalized aid to reading in classrooms, at home, and out in the community. Watch a video here of the mother and son duo showcasing the application, or visit Lectio at the App Store.
  Terms: Reading, Text Highlighting, Later Elementary, Middle School, High School, College/Adult

• Build spelling confidence with a mystery

  News Bulletin: The Huevos Rancheros Gang stole the gold and they are hiding out amongst the good citizens of Word Town.

  Your Mission: Help the sheriff, a friendly and curious little ghost, recover the missing gold and catch the outlaws.

  Find the letters you need to solve the word puzzles

  • Spelling practice integrated with a rich, immersive game experience
  • Record your own words and make your own custom word lists
  • Unlimited user accounts - create your own avatar and save your game progress
  • 3 skill levels and 2 game modes provide a highly customizable and flexible learning experience for a range of ages
  • Optional audio hints speak the words from the selected word list
  • Visual hints provide scaffolding for difficult words
  • Quirky characters and backstory are revealed as you recover the missing gold and capture the outlaws
  • Promotes strategic and critical thinking
  Application URL: https://artgigapps.com/apps/mystery-word-town

• Easy Spelling Aid is a tool to help you spell problematic words. Simply touch the microphone button, say the word or phrase, and receive the correct spelling, displayed in your chosen writing style. The software is designed to recognize a variety of accents and is fine-tuned to pick up on children’s voices. Easy Spelling Aid is suitable for students of all ages.

  Easy Spelling Aid Benefits:

  • Improves literacy performance and spelling
  • Helps with comprehension and vocabulary
  • Gives children and adults alike a quick and easy way to find out the spelling of a word without relying on a parent or teacher. As a result, creative thought processes are interrupted less often, allowing for greater creative flow
  • Helps children learn homophones and understand word usage by using context to determine the correct spelling of a word
  • Assists children and students to become independent writers
  • Develops recognition and correct spelling of words in their appropriate context (for example, they’re, their, there)
  • Features a History Log with saved spelling results, including translations
  Terms: Spelling
• Originally a story book (available on Amazon here), Blue Hat, Green Hat is an application for iPad and tablets that introduces kids to early reading skills in a way that keeps them learning and laughing. The interactive ebook, designed for ages 5 and under, lets users dress an animated turkey and see him and his friends go on silly adventures. As a user drags an article of clothing and places it on the turkey, the clothing’s description is displayed on the screen, highlighted, and read aloud. For example, if a red hat is dragged onto the turkey’s head, the phrase “red hat” will appear on the screen and each word will be highlighted individually as the narrator speaks. After the turkey is dressed and ready to go, the child can get a laugh out of manipulating the character’s adventure with the touch of the “OOPS!” button. The ebook also comes with the choice to take away the narrative voice so users can have a hand at reading through the ebook by his or herself.
  The interactive ebook Blue Hat, Green Hat is available at the Google Play store and AppStore.
  Application URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.loudcrow.bluehat&hl=en

• SightWords free and printable materials are designed to promote learning in the classroom and also at home. They have recently introduced a great new curriculum for teaching Phonemic Awareness (also called Pre-Phonics) to children.

  The site's features include:

  • A Curriculum covering the full range of Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
  • Classroom-tested Lessons based on the latest research, complete with “how-to” videos
  • Printable picture cards, word lists, and game boards
  • Teaching Tips for tailoring games to the specific needs of your students
  Application URL: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/
  Terms: Preschool, Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Phonics
• Ghotit Real Writer assists people with dyslexia and dysgraphia in their English writing and text correction.
  The application corrects badly spelled words, confused words, homophones, grammar, and punctuation like no other writing assistance tool and offers advanced word prediction with grammar and phonetics awareness capabilities.
  The main features:
  - Phonetic and context-sensitive spell checker;
  - Word-Prediction with grammar and phonetics awareness;
  - Quick-Spell Word-Prediction with instant correction for creative/phonetic writers;
  - Advanced grammar and punctuation corrector;
  - Effective proofreader;
  - Speak as you write (speech feedback);
  - Reading assistance with dual highlighting;
  - Independent text editor;
  - Importing and sharing of text with other iPad applications;
  - Integrated dictionaries;
  - US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and South African English dictionaries;
  - AirPrint compatible.
  
  Application URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ghotit-real-writer/id956782250
  Terms: Preschool, Reading, Early Elementary, Writing, Later Elementary, Middle School, High School, College/Adult

• Write in Style is every writer’s best friend. Smart text prediction helps you write in selectable styles, fast and without typos. Writers and bloggers can write in the style of their favorite authors. How would Jane Austen finish this sentence? How would the president phrase the next few words? Write in Style has the answers!

  Write in Style combines the gray text suggestions known from search engines with the simplicity of a free text area. As you write, the next few words are always predicted and laid out in front of you. Arrow keys help you find fitting alternatives and when you’re done, you can export the text directly to your email or wherever you need it.

  The best thing is that you can select from a variety of topics, styles and languages to get suggestions fitting your needs:

  Available styles: W. Shakespeare, J. Austen, F. Nietzsche, F. Kafka, A. Dumas

  Available languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Catalan, Danish

  Available topics: Political Speech, Basic.

  Terms: Writing
• Promptoo...The Actor's Toolkit. Bringing the actor's script into the 21st century.
  The app help actors to read and learn a script in a more time effective way, specialising in the needs of actors suffering from reading disabilities such as Dyslexia, Aspergers, Autism and Irlen Syndrome, to help neutralise their difficulties with reading, learning and rehearsing text.
  Promptoo is a valuable aid for any actor, it allows you to customise the entire script; from changing each characters font to adding notes, Promptoo can even read out your script, making learning and rehearsing on your own an easier task.
  Terms: Art, High School, Phonics, College/Adult, Resources & Reference

• Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 7.0 or later.

  Created by a doctor to help his son learn to read, this multi-book adventure starts with a few simple words on each page. Gradually the simplistic cartoon façade falls away to reveal a thought-provoking plot that champions loyalty and determination. You can also download books 2 and 3.

  Application URL: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spy-sam-reading-book-1-big/id644904139
  Terms: Letters and Sounds, Reading, Early Elementary, Later Elementary, Phonics